


Night Off

by CartoonAddict564



Category: Monster High
Genre: F/F, Yuletide, Yuletide 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-09
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-08-30 01:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8512915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CartoonAddict564/pseuds/CartoonAddict564
Summary: Clawdeen Wolf has a lot of responsibilities, and one of the most exhausting is wrangling her little brothers. As the full moon grows near and her brothers get more antsy, Clawdeen finds herself run ragged in her efforts to keep up with them. Fortunately, Cleo de Nile is willing to assist her, and she agrees to stop over for a night to enable Clawdeen to get some much needed rest. Clawdeen is skeptical that the former princess is up to the task, but Cleo happens to have a powerful magical artifact she's absolutely certain will help... and which, incidentally, just may lead to a deepening in the relationship between Clawdeen and Cleo as well.





	1. Before the Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [girlnamedlance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlnamedlance/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide, everyone! I was inspired to write this from one of girlnamelance's prompts, specifically the one about Clawdeen needing some help from her ghouls to quiet her brothers down. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it.

The peals of the school bell blasted through the study hall and slammed into Clawdeen's ears, jolting her eyes open and forcing her head up off the top of her desk. The world swam in front of her for a few moments before it stabilized, but when she tried to lift her head further, everything seized and she felt herself slumping back down. She managed an inarticulate growl and scratched a deep furrow into the desk with one long claw. "That nap wasn't nearly long enough..."

 

"Hey, Clawdeen!" The werewolf blearily turned to see two of her best friends looking at her with concern. Frankie, who had spoken, stepped closer and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright? You look exhausted."

 

"I _am_ exhausted." Clawdeen groaned and forced herself to her feet. Study hall was over, she knew, and she had to get across the campus if she was going to make it to biology lab on time. "Tomorrow night's the full moon. You know how it is."

 

"I thought werewolves got all energized before the full moon?" Draculaura tilted her head with a confused look on her face. "Your brothers are always climbing the walls. When I came over last month one of them almost dropped on my head!"

 

Clawdeen rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and trust me, he spent the rest of the afternoon in the kennel over that." She flashed a smile at her friends, though it soon faded into an exhausted grimace. "But that's the whole problem. Werewolves get majorly amped up by the moon, including my brothers, and I'm the one who has to spend three days in a row running after them and stopping them from chasing cars, or playing fetch all night, or whatever else they want to do. And they're getting worse. Last full moon I only got a few hours sleep in the three days leading up to it--I was almost too tired to go running--and this time I'm lucky if I get an hour a night."

 

"It's not fair that you have to do all the looking after," Draculaura said. "What about Clawd?"

 

"He has casketball practice all afternoon, and by the time he gets home my parents think he's too tired to help out. So I'm in charge of everything. As usual." Clawdeen sighed. "I love running with the pack, but I swear, at this rate I'm going to spend the night of the full moon zonked out in bed while my stupid little brothers have the time of their lives."

 

Frankie exchanged a glance with Draculaura before turning back to Clawdeen. "Maybe you just need someone to help you," she began. "I'm not doing anything tonight. Why don't I come over and lend a hand?"

 

Clawdeen raised an eyebrow. "Because the last time you came over to help me with my brothers--when they were getting their rabies shots--you went to pieces. Literally. Remember?"

 

"Uh..." Frankie blushed as Draculaura giggled at her. "What? Her brothers jumped me, and before I knew it they'd ripped apart all my stitching! Still, it only took a little bit to get myself back together... after we figured out where your brothers buried my right arm, I mean. But it was only an hour or two--"

 

"Yeah, and while you were unburying yourself and stitching yourself up, I was chasing my bros all over the city to get them to take their shots. Sorry, Frankie, but the way my brothers are now, you wouldn't last five minutes before they had you in eight or nine different pieces." Clawdeen shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but I really don't think it would work out."

 

"Can I help?" Draculaura asked. "I'm great with kids! Maybe I could keep them calm?"

 

Clawdeen considered her for a moment. "Okay, let's say my brothers come up to you and ask if they can have some of those new super-sugary sodas before bed. What do you say?"

 

Draculaura's eyes gleamed as she stood up straight. "I say, 'no way!'"

 

"Uh huh. And then what if they make those big puppy-dog eyes and their lips tremble a little and they tell you how they really really want just an itty bitty sip?" Clawdeen narrowed her eyes as Draculaura looked away. "Well?"

 

"Well..." Draculaura hesitated. "I mean, if they make the puppy-dog eyes... I might let them have just a taste..."

 

"And then what happens when you say 'ok' and they gulp a couple bottles before you can stop them?" Clawdeen pushed.

 

Draculaura blushed. "I... wag my finger at them and tell them not to do it again?" She managed a hesitant little smile. "Would that be okay?"

 

Clawdeen stared at her.

 

"...I didn't think so." Draculaura sighed. "Okay, maybe I'm not the right ghoul for this either. Sorry. I guess I'm too nice..."

 

"Hey, you being nice is half the reason we keep you around," teased Clawdeen as they left the study hall classroom, earning a giggle from her friend in the process. The halls were mostly empty as the last few stragglers hurried to class, and Clawdeen reluctantly forced herself to go faster so she could get to biology before the bell rang. "But yeah, you probably shouldn't try to look after my brothers before the full moon. Trust me, you gotta be tough or they'll scamper all over you. That's why my folks leave it up to me."

 

The other girls nodded sympathetically as Clawdeen continued. "I'd love if someone helped me out--maybe then I could actually get some sleep--but I don't know anyone who could do it. Any helper would have to be tough, and stern, and willing to say 'no' to my brothers even if they tried the puppy-dog eyes. And she'd have to be fast enough to catch them if they did manage to get away. Cause let me tell you, I turn my back for fifteen minutes to do some homework or something, and my bros'll be halfway to Boo York." She shrugged. "Know any ghouls like that, who'd also be willing to help me out on short notice? Cause I don't."

 

Frankie furrowed her brow for a few moments before suddenly brightening. "I've got it! I know just who to ask!"

 

"Really?" Clawdeen stopped so abruptly that Frankie and Draculaura almost ran into her back. "Who?"

 

"Cleo! She's tough, stern, and she doesn't have problems saying 'no' to anyone!" Frankie took out her phone. "I'll just text her real quick. I'm sure she'll be up for it."

 

Clawdeen exchanged an uneasy glance with Draculaura. "You're sure about that? I'm pretty sure today's her shopping day."

 

"Every day's her shopping day," added Draculaura. "And she _hates_ to miss her shopping day."

 

"True, but she owes me a favor from when I helped her polish that sarcophagus before her great grandmother came to visit. I'll just call it in and ask her to show up at your place around moonrise to help you out." Frankie's thumbs danced over her phone as she wrote her text. "And... sent! No worries, Clawdeen. I know she'll come through."

 

Clawdeen looked hesitant for a moment longer, but at Frankie's warm smile the werewolf soon managed one of her own. "That's fangtastic, Frankie. Thanks for using your favor for me instead of, I don't know, getting some cool new potion or trinket."

 

"Hey, what are freaky friends for?" Frankie grinned. "Now come on. Class is about to start, and we don't want to be late, right?" She turned to Draculaura. "Remember when we were all two minutes late to gym and we had to clean the whole Casketball field?"

 

"Of course!" Draculaura pressed a hand to her head as the school bell started to ring. "That was awful. I was smelling of sweat for days. Didn't that suck, Clawdeen?"

 

Clawdeen gave no response. Her head was bowed, and as the other two girls watched her, a soft snore escaped from her lips. She had fallen asleep standing up. 

 

Frankie and Draculaura glanced at each other, then both grinned in unison as they took Clawdeen's arms to gently maneuver her through the door. Keeping her awake and out of trouble for the rest of the school day would be difficult, they knew, but after all, that was what friends were for.

 

#

 

As the moon started to rise that night, Clawdeen found herself prying a particularly rambunctious brother off of a milk bone. "I told you, you can chew this when you're done with your homework," she growled. "Now give it back!"

 

"Don't wanna!" The brother snarled at her as he backed up, bone held tightly in his jaw. "Mine!"

 

Clawdeen sighed to herself and then shifted her gaze over her brother's shoulders. She let her eyes widen just slightly and her brother turned to see where she was looking--at which point Clawdeen pounced. Her purse dropped to the ground as she leapt through the air, tackled her brother, and attempted to pull the milk bone out of his mouth.

 

But it was not to be. Her brother yowled, and within seconds a swarm of other brothers descended upon Clawdeen from all corners of the house. Some pushed at her, some shoved, and some just tickled, but by the time it was over they'd thrown her off her brother and into a corner while they ran around the room chewing bones, wrestling, and one even digging at the floor with his paw-like hands. Clawdeen let out a soft growl of her own as she clenched her fist and tried to figure out what to do next. "Why am I always in charge?" she muttered. "Stupid brothers..."

 

Then the honk of a loud horn echoed through the house, and even Clawdeen's brothers stopped pushing at each other for a moment to look in the direction of the street. A few moments later a series of deep, steady knocks resounded from the front door. "Announcing Cleo de Nile," came the voice of one of Cleo's servants. "Is Clawdeen available?"

 

Clawdeen pushed herself to her feet, stifled a yawn, and reminded herself that even if Cleo only stuck around for an hour or so before giving up and going home, it would still be a very welcome respite from her brothers' chaos. "Yeah, I'm here, I'm here," she managed as she stumbled to the door. It took a few minutes, and she almost tripped over one of her brothers in the process, but she managed it. "Hey Cleo," she said, pulling the door open. "You sure you ready for this? I--" She paused. "What are you holding?"

 

"Oh, this?" Cleo smirked as she looked down at the golden scepter in her hand. "Just a little magic trinket to help with controlling unruly peasants... or brothers, in this case." Her eyes twinkled as she walked past Clawdeen and shoved the door closed behind her. "So yes. I _am_ ready for this. Shall we, Clawdeen?"

 

"Shall we what?" Clawdeen hurried after Cleo. "Hey, they may be brats but they're still my brothers, so if you're planning on transforming them all into statues or, I don't know, banishing--"

 

"Calm down, would you?" Cleo glanced back at Clawdeen with an amused glint in her eyes. "I won't do anything to hurt them. Just trust me, okay?"

 

Clawdeen narrowed her eyes but said nothing else as Cleo led the way back to the den, where Clawdeen's brothers were still making a mess. They all looked up as the two girls entered, and their eyes shone. "Cleo! Cleo!" one of them called. "Did you get us any presents?"

 

"Do you want to play fetch?" asked another.

 

"Clawdeen says we're not allowed to have any soda before bed, but you know better, right?" pleaded a third. "It'd be okay if we just had a few sips, right?"

 

Clawdeen's eyes flashed and she opened her mouth to tell her brothers off, but then Cleo waved her back with a dainty flick of her hand. "Maybe in a few minutes," she told the brother who had begged for soda. "But first, as it happens, I _did_ get you all something. Could you all line up, please?"

 

"What?!" Clawdeen tried to get around Cleo as her brothers pushed and shoved to be first in line. "Cleo, you're just going to wind them up--"

 

"Like I said, Clawdeen, I've got this. Relax, okay?" Cleo gave her a knowing grin before turning back to the brothers and raising her scepter. "Alright. Everybody who wants to see an _amazing_ magic trick, just keep your eye on the scepter." The brothers stared at it eagerly, some even bouncing in place, as she began to trace an ankh in the air. "It's really incredible. I promise you've never seen anything like it. Just hold on a little and..."

 

The tip of the scepter glowed a bright, almost blinding green as Cleo sped up the pace at which she was moving it through the air. Clawdeen gaped as her brothers watched, enraptured, while sparks began to shoot out of the scepter's tip. Then Cleo thrust it forward and shouted a few words in Egyptian, firing several thin beams of green light at her brothers. They stepped back in unison as each was hit in the forehead by a single beam. Clawdeen yelped and surged forward to grab the scepter out of Cleo's hand--

 

But then Cleo lowered it as its tip faded back to a dull gold, and the brothers began shaking their heads like they were waking from a deep sleep. "What did you do?" demanded Clawdeen. "Did you hurt them? Cleo, if you--"

 

Cleo held up a hand. "Now," she said to the brothers. "Those of you with homework--do your homework. Those of you with chores--do your chores. And those of you with neither..." She paused. "Clawdeen, what _are_ your little brothers supposed to do when they've finished everything else?"

 

Clawdeen gave her a blank look. "Uh... play video games, read, _quietly_ run around in the yard--"

 

"You heard your sister. Those of you who don't have homework or chores, go quietly run around, or read, or play those silly electronic games." Cleo waved them away with a flick of her hands--and as Clawdeen watched in shock, her brothers nodded and then quietly turned and began to file out of the room. "Alright!" Cleo announced as they left. "That takes care of that. Want a manicure? I could have my stylist here in twenty minutes."

 

"Wait, wait, hold up." Clawdeen scurried after her little brothers and saw, to her amazement, that two of them were now in their rooms with their math books in front of them, two more were washing up dishes in the kitchen, and even the ones who were just relaxing were indeed doing so quietly, as per Cleo's instructions. She rushed back to the den and stared at Cleo in utter shock. "Ghoul, you need to explain what you just did."

 

Cleo sniffed. "I got your brothers under control. You're welcome."

 

"Got them under control how?" demanded Clawdeen. "Did that thing you're holding brainwash them or something?"

 

"Nothing so extreme. You know how my father was pharaoh, the unquestioned ruler of Egypt, lord of a people that obeyed his every whim?" Cleo twirled the scepter around lazily in her fingers. "Well, this is one of the ways in which he ensured that everyone _knew_ he was their ruler and they should obey all those whims without question. One wave of this and even the most rebellious spirit becomes a lot more... tractable."

 

"And so my brothers..." began Clawdeen.

 

"Now understand that I am just _so_ superior to them in every way that it's only sensible that I should be in charge. So when I tell them to do something, it's not just their big sister's friend telling them to do it--it's their ruler, who deserves to be obeyed without question." Cleo's eyes glimmered. "Don't worry, it isn't permanent. It should wear off a couple hours after sunrise. In the meantime, though, they'll do whatever I say--including keeping quiet and staying out of our hair while we have a proper ghoul's night." She began to walk towards Clawdeen's room with quick, precise steps. "So, how about that manicure?"

 

She disappeared around the corner of the hallway. And Clawdeen, after taking a few moments to collect herself and recover from the shock, found herself following.


	2. The Night Begins... and Ends

Though she would never have expected it, Clawdeen found herself having one of the most peaceful evenings of her life.

 

Her brothers behaved better than she would have thought possible. They didn't shout, or snarl, or shove each other, and when Cleo told them to do anything at all, from getting washed up to actually getting tucked into bed, they did it without complaint. Instead of the usual hour it took to get everyone calmed down and sleeping--or the three hours it usually took on the eve of the full moon--it took maybe ten minutes, if that. And as she left the bedroom of her last little brother Clawdeen realized that she was actually free for the rest of the evening. Her brothers were asleep for the night, and if Cleo's scepter worked like she said it did, they wouldn't be getting up and bothering her at all. She was done. And that meant there was only one conclusion to draw.

 

"I need to get me one of those scepter things," said Clawdeen without preamble as she went back into the den, where Cleo was lounging on the sofa. Both girls had changed into pajamas as soon as the brothers were in bed, and Cleo looked up from the gold filigree coating her nightgown as Clawdeen approached her. "You got any spares?" the werewolf continued. "Or maybe I could just rent that one? It would be _way_ useful to have around the house."

 

Cleo laughed. "Sorry, Clawdeen, but they can only be used by someone of the royal Egyptian bloodline." She leaned back on the sofa. "But any time you want me to come over and top your brothers off, I'd be happy to oblige." 

 

"Lucky." Clawdeen flopped down next to Cleo, trying to fight off the waves of exhaustion running through her. "So what do you want to do now? I could get us some snacks, find a boovie to watch, dig up a couple board games... what?" Cleo was giving her an odd look. "You don't like board games?"

 

Cleo gently shook her head. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Clawdeen. Why don't you take a nap or something? I assure you, I'll find some way to entertain myself, even in these less-than-royal surroundings." 

 

Clawdeen rolled her eyes but didn't otherwise respond to the dig at her house. "You're my guest, Cleo. I got this." Her body ached with the need for sleep, but she still found the strength to lean forwards and drag a stack of DVDs closer on the coffee table. "I just bought the new music video by Ari Hauntington. Want to watch it?"

 

Cleo was silent for a long moment, and when she spoke again, it wasn't to answer the question. "You usually wind up in charge of things when I'm not around, don't you?"

 

"Well, someone has to be." Clawdeen chuckled. "I'm the oldest one here, except for Clawd, and he's always out with his sports team. And at school, well, you know how Frankie can get. She's a nice ghoul, but her plans tend to be..."

 

"Optimistic? Naive?" Cleo smiled slightly. "In need of direction from someone a little more cautious?"

 

Clawdeen leaned back against the soft cushions of the couch. "Yeah, basically. So I do need to step in whenever the others get a little out of control. Which, turns out, is all the time. But I'm used to it. Besides, you probably know what it's like always having to be in charge, being a princess and all."

 

"I do indeed," mused Cleo. "My father raised me to lead ever since I was little. Nefera aside, he knew there might come a time when I had to take the throne, either temporarily or on a more permanent basis--so he had me practice on our servants every day. I admit, sometimes even I got tired of giving orders. Although..." 

 

Clawdeen waited, but Cleo didn't say anything, so at last the werewolf leaned forwards and asked, "Although what?"

 

"Sometimes, when Nefera's and my spats got out of hand, father would use the scepter on us to make us calm down and stop fighting." Cleo drew the scepter from a handbag she'd set down next to the couch and began examining it again. "I didn't think I'd like it at first, but actually, it was kind of relaxing. A few hours when I didn't have to do the thinking for everyone in the house, when I could just relax and let my father handle things. It was really peaceful." The mummy carefully set the scepter down on the coffee table so the tip was pointed at Clawdeen. "Want to give it a whirl for the night?"

 

"What?" Despite her exhaustion, Clawdeen found the strength to jump to her feet and back up several paces. "Hold up. Putting my brothers to bed is one thing, but you're not using that stuff to make me do your hair or whatever--"

 

Cleo held up a hand. "Word of honor, I wouldn't have you do anything you didn't want to do anyway. We'd just sit back, eat some popcorn, maybe watch that music video. Nothing you'd mind."

 

Clawdeen frowned. "If we'd be doing the same things, what's the point of the scepter?"

 

"Because you wouldn't have to worry about anybody besides yourself." Cleo rose and gently walked up to Clawdeen. "You wouldn't have to be thinking about whether I'm having fun, or whether Frankie or your brothers might need something. I'd handle all that. All you'd have to do would be to enjoy yourself." Her smile grew as she stepped right next to Clawdeen. "Doesn't that sound nice?"

 

Clawdeen opened her mouth to snap that it was a terrible idea, that she _liked_ being in charge of herself and the monsters around her and would never yield control to anyone else... but then she heard a soft ringing from somewhere, and while after a few seconds she realized it was just the windchimes jangling outsides, she couldn't stop herself from imagining what could have happened if it had been her phone. What if Frankie had called and said she'd gotten into some other scrape and needed help to get out of it? Or what if Clawd called and said the casketball team was going to be out late so Clawdeen would have to take over his chores for the evening? Or what if the scepter somehow wore off early and her brothers woke up needing glasses of milk or bones to chew on?

 

She saw her peaceful evening falling apart. Even if nobody wound up needing anything, she knew she'd be on edge all night just in case somebody did. In fact, she'd have to be ready to pounce at a moment's notice in case the phone rang or a call came from upstairs. And there was no way she could get out of it...

 

Unless she let Cleo take over for the evening.

 

Cleo was intelligent and responsible, and while she could be annoying or vain at times, Clawdeen knew the other girl was trustworthy. If she promised she'd handle all of Clawdeen's responsibilities for the night, then she would. And Clawdeen could _finally_ spend a night without having to worry about her brothers or her friends. She could spend a night when all she had to worry about was how much fun she was having.

 

"I'm..." She realize she was stalling and forced herself to look up at Cleo. "I'm, uh, okay. I'll give it a try."

 

Cleo's smile turned into a bright grin. "Fangtastic!" she enthused as she raised the scepter. "Alright, this will just take a second. Watch closely..."

 

Clawdeen did, and after a few seconds found she couldn't look away even if she wanted to as the bright green light returned to the tip of the scepter and seemed to fill her entire field of vision. Distantly, she heard Cleo chanting in Egyptian, and then she saw a great blast of light streaking towards her head. It slammed into her before she could react, and she rocked back on her heels, waiting to see what being put under Cleo's spell felt like.

 

And then, after a few moments, she spoke. "I don't feel any different," she said slowly, pressing one hand to her forehead. It didn't feel burned or sore or otherwise altered in any way, and she frowned. "Did it work?"

 

Cleo's eyes twinkled. "Well, let's see," she said. "To start with: Clawdeen, I want you to stop worrying about Frankie, your brothers, and everyone else for the rest of the night. I'll make sure they're taken care of. The only person you need to think about is you."

 

The mummy spoke in exactly the same voice as before--but this time, when she did so, she sounded entirely different to Clawdeen. The werewolf couldn't explain exactly how her friend's voice sounded different, but something about it just felt so _trustworthy_ to Clawdeen that she could barely even imagine disagreeing with her. It wasn't the voice of her imperious classmate; it was the voice of a rightful monarch, a princess whose wisdom and character more than qualified her to rule. When such a monster spoke, there was no question that she was to be believed. And so, if she said that she would handle all the responsibilities for the evening, that Clawdeen didn't have to do anything but relax and enjoy herself, then that was all Clawdeen had to concern herself with.

 

The werewolf smiled as a great weight lifted from her mind. She didn't have to drive herself crazy being responsible for everyone else now, she thought. She could relax. She could have _fun_. "Woah," she said--but quietly, as it wouldn't do to shout at the princess. "This feels _nice_."

 

"I know," said Cleo with a kind smile. "Now, why don't we make some snacks and then settle in for a boovie? Follow me to the kitchen, will you?"

 

Normally, Clawdeen wouldn't have liked being told how to make snacks in such exacting detail--to the point where 'put the cap back on the jar of popcorn kernels before you put it away' was an actual instruction Cleo gave--even if, as was the case, Cleo was helping to make the snacks as well. But now she delighted in each directive, following each step exactly and trusting that Cleo would make sure everything came out alright on the other end. She didn't need to worry that they'd use up too much of one thing or waste something that Clawdeen's parents were saving for a special occasion; that was Cleo's job, and Clawdeen was happy to just go along with her orders. "Here you go," she said when she was done, presenting Cleo with a big bowl of freshly popped popcorn loaded up with butter and salt, as well as a spread of candy. "Is this right?"

 

"Of course it is." Cleo had taken care of melting the cheese for the nachos, and she balanced the tray of chips and dips in one elegant hand. "Try a nacho. They're sublime."

 

Clawdeen did so and grinned as she bit down. The nacho didn't taste any better than normal, but now she could really _focus_ on it, without running through possible disaster scenarios in the back of her mind. She could just focus on the gooey, perfectly-spiced nacho cheese drizzled on top of the salty, crunchy chip.

 

"That's delicious," she managed as she finished the chip. "Really awesome."

 

"I know. Come on." Cleo began to walk back to the den and beckoned Clawdeen to follow. "We have a movie to watch."

 

And so they sat on the couch, and Clawdeen didn't have to think about anything except for how soft the cushions were and how nice it was to finally relax. And then Cleo chose a movie, and Clawdeen didn't have to worry about whether it was the _right_ movie--whether it was one that Cleo didn't really like but was choosing for Clawdeen's benefit, or whether it was one that was too girly or too childish for her to be able to admit to enjoying it--but just had to lean against Cleo with a contented smile and watch the bright, colorful opening sequence begin. Cleo then gathered a few blankets and pillows for them, and Clawdeen let herself be wrapped up, snug in the knowledge that everything was taken care of and attended to by a wise expert.

 

Then the landline phone rang, and when Clawdeen looked at the caller ID she saw it was Frankie's number. She frowned and slowly reached for it; as comfortable as she was, if Frankie was calling at this hour then she probably needed help, and Clawdeen would give it to her. She stretched to pick up the phone--

 

But Cleo got it first. "I told you," she said in a slightly reproving voice. "I've got everything under control for the evening. Don't worry about it."

 

And then it was clear. If Cleo said Clawdeen didn't need to worry about it, then she didn't need to worry about it. Clawdeen smiled and wrapped herself tighter in the blankets as Cleo took the phone and began talking, nothing on her mind except for how soft and warm the blankets were and how good it felt to just _relax_.

 

Cleo hung up a few minutes later, having given Frankie the recipe to a magic spell she needed for some reason or other, and then settled back down besides Clawdeen. "See? Told you I had everything under control, didn't I?" Clawdeen nodded. "Now. How about that movie?"

 

Clawdeen nodded eagerly--if Cleo had suggested it, it couldn't possibly be a bad idea--and leaned against her friend as the mummy wrapped herself under some additional blankets. Then the movie started, and Clawdeen thought of nothing except enjoying the show.

 

#

 

When Clawdeen next opened her eyes, she felt completely at peace.

 

The sun was streaming through the den windows, providing enough light for Clawdeen to push herself up and look around. She was still on the sofa, wrapped in her favorite blanket, with a half-eaten bowl of popcorn in front of her and the TV turned off on the other side of the room. When she turned over she blinked--and then had to stifle a giggle, because Cleo de Nile was lying next to her with her arms wrapped tightly around a pillow like it was a stuffed animal she was cuddling. "Wow," the werewolf managed as she stumbled to her feet. "That was one whack night." 

 

"Hmm?" Cleo's eyes blinked open and she looked up at Clawdeen as a faint smile flickered on her lips. "Ah, Clawdeen. Feeling better?"

 

"Yeah." Clawdeen stretched, then grinned as she realized how easy the motion was. She felt _good_ \--more refreshed and energetic than she'd been in ages. She felt like she could deal with her brothers now, or whatever wild adventures awaited her at school or just run and run and run under the full moon that would be rising that night. "Yeah, I feel _great_." She pumped a fist. "Thanks, Cleo. This is awesome."

 

"No problem. Now..." Cleo waved a hand towards the bowl of popcorn, which was just out of her reach. "Could you pass the popcorn?"

 

Clawdeen shrugged and moved to pick it up, but then paused. Cleo's request sounded once more just like an ordinary request, not like a dictate from one's leader and ruler. "I dunno," she teased as she hefted the bowl up. "Maybe. What's in it for me?"

 

Cleo laughed at that, then quickly stood up and stretched. "The scepter wore off, then?"

 

"Guess so," Clawdeen said. "Probably a good thing too. Gotta be in my right mind for school today--big test in mad science. Wouldn't want to be zonked out for that. Still... it was a _lot_ of fun while it lasted."

 

"I should hope so," sniffed Cleo. "This scepter is a royal artifact, after all, and one of my father's most powerful. It should be able to deliver 'a lot of fun' and more." Her eyes twinkled. "Just let me know if you want to do it again. I have some free time next weekend; we could probably get your brothers sorted in an hour or two and then have the rest of the day to just..." She drew the scepter from her handbag and smiled. "...relax."

 

An entire weekend, Clawdeen thought, when she didn't have to worry about her brothers or any other responsibilities? That _would_ be nice. "Yeah," she said. "That'd be fangtacular. And actually..." she thought for a moment. "You said you liked getting zapped by it when you were little and your parents wanted you to settle down. You have anyone use that thing on you anymore?"

 

"Me? No, sadly enough." Cleo sighed. "Like I said, it only works for someone of the royal bloodline. Now that I'm old enough for my parents to ground me instead of zapping me, they wouldn't use it--and I don't trust Nefera. She'd probably have me do something ghastly, like paint my toenails puce."

 

"Ugh." Clawdeen wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, forget her. But 'll bet there's some way to fake being part of the bloodline so someone else could use that thing on you. Did you ask Ghoulia? She might have some ideas."

 

"Fake the bloodline? I suppose it's possible, but I never thought about it. There wasn't anyone I trusted to..." Cleo trailed off. "You're say you would?"

 

Clawdeen nodded. "Least I could do. If we're going to make this a regular thing..." Clawdeen hesitated for a moment and decided not to explicitly state that she very much wanted it to be a regular thing; that, she decided, she could leave as an implication. "...then I figure you should get a turn getting to relax too, right? So yeah, let's talk to Ghoulia. I'll bet she comes up with a way I could use this to give _you_ a little break from responsibilities for a while."

 

Cleo was silent for a moment before smiling, and Clawdeen grinned to see the joy on her friend's face. "Well, alright then," the mummy said. "I mean, I'm not really supposed to let anyone else use this, but I suppose what my father doesn't know won't hurt him."

 

"I say the same thing every day about my brothers. And parents. And little sister." Clawdeen chuckled and began to gather up the snack items, Cleo gingerly helping with a few of the lighter ones. "Alright. I guess we should put this stuff away, make sure my brothers are up, and get everyone to school. Oh, and you gotta tell me what Frankie got up to last night. Cause I didn't hear much, but based on what I know of that girl, it sounded totally ridiculous."

 

"It was." Cleo stifled a giggle that wasn't very princess-like. "Apparently she and Draculaura decided to do this sledding competition with a bunch of yeti, and the penalty for losing was they would have to model in this yeti fashion show which had really ugly styles--I mean, _really_ ugly, like plaid suspenders and pastel socks ugly--but then it turned out the yetis were really good sledders so Frankie called me and asked if I knew any magic that would help them win..."

 

Clawdeen laughed as she listened to the story and led Cleo back to the kitchen, though she did drop back a little as she thought about how good she felt. Her head was bright and clear, her body was practically thrumming with energy, and perhaps most importantly of all, she had great friends who would help her deal with any challenge she ran into--including the challenge of taking on so much responsibility that she needed a break before she collapsed from exhaustion. Everything, she thought, was perfect.

 

 _I love my friends_ , she thought to herself, and then hurried to catch up so she didn't miss a word of Cleo's story.


End file.
